Giants Causeway and Portrush/Portstewart

A2LUE42

Looking at doing a trip up to see the Giants Causeway with two teenage boys, driving up from Limerick. It would just be the three of us on the trip.

3 options for the drive.

Limerick - Galway - Sligo - Bundoran - Ballyshannon - Donegal - Coleraine - Giants Causeway

Limerick - Nenagh - Athlone - Belturbet - Clones - Dungannon - Cookstown - Coleraine - Giants Causeway

Limerick - Dublin - Belfast - Ballymena - Ballymoney - Giants Causeway

I drive the Limerick - Dublin road frequently enough, so would prefer to avoid it and go another way, but not to do a daft drive for the sake of it either. Could do a long drive one way and the short one the other.

Going to stay somewhere overnight. Would Portstewart/Portrush be better that doing a stopover in Belfast?

Any suggestions/ideas?

ardmacha

A2LUE42 wrote: »

Looking at doing a trip up to see the Giants Causeway with two teenage boys, driving up from Limerick. It would just be the three of us on the trip.

3 options for the drive.

Limerick - Galway - Sligo - Bundoran - Ballyshannon - Donegal - Coleraine - Giants Causeway

Limerick - Nenagh - Athlone - Belturbet - Clones - Dungannon - Cookstown - Coleraine - Giants Causeway

Limerick - Dublin - Belfast - Ballymena - Ballymoney - Giants Causeway

I drive the Limerick - Dublin road frequently enough, so would prefer to avoid it and go another way, but not to do a daft drive for the sake of it either. Could do a long drive one way and the short one the other.

Going to stay somewhere overnight. Would Portstewart/Portrush be better that doing a stopover in Belfast?

Any suggestions/ideas?

Clearly you can go one way and come back the other. For tourism generally I would say that Belfast - Ballymena - Ballymoney - Giants Causeway should be replaced with the Antrim Coast Road, but there is no accounting for the interests of teenagers! Portrush/Portstewart are usual seaside places, something like the Titanic museum in Belfast might be of interest.

keith_d99

I did this trip a few months back ..... There are 1 set of traffic lights (Newlands Cross) between Limerick and Belfast - otherwise pretty much all motorway!

We did Limerick-Belfast in 3.5 hours!
Stayed in Belfast overnight - did titanic exhibition and black cab tour (a must!).

Drove out the Antrim Coast Road from Belfast ... joining the road at Carrickfergus - lovely drive from there all the way to Giants Causeway (make sure you take in Ballintoy Harbour en route).

We stayed just outside Bushmills.

Drove as far as Derry the following day (via ferry to Donegal). We came back down the same way (via Belfast, M1, M7) ... didn't try come down west.

Any questions, let me know!

spurious

Antrim Coast road - do the Torr Road drive - I guarantee they will never forget it (and the driver could age ten years!).
Beautiful part of the world. Lots of good B&Bs around.

keith_d99

spurious wrote: »

Antrim Coast road - do the Torr Road drive - I guarantee they will never forget it (and the driver could age ten years!).
Beautiful part of the world. Lots of good B&Bs around.

Ah Torr Road is the bit that goes around the coast when the A2 goes inland for a bit??

Either way ... you would be mad to head straight to Giant's Causeway from Belfast ... take the A2 (Antrim Coast Road).

Gets a lot less from spectacular after Giants Causeway (towards Portrush/Post Stewart)

Slunk

Thinking of doing this soon, is the coast road well signposted coming out of Belfast? How long would ye reckon it takes to the rope bridge, causeway and back into Belfast. I want to do a black cab tour of Belfast and Titanic too so thinking to stay the night and do then the following morning. We'll be driving from Dublin.

finbarrk

I did West Clare to the Giants Causeway 2 months ago. Its about 6 hours via Dublin. So that would be 5 from Limerick. I did the Rope Bridge also and went the coast route back to Belfast. And the Bushmills distillery while I was up around there too.

spurious

We went up Thursday morning, stopped in Glenarm to see the Walled Garden at the castle, then on up the coast. We didn't take the inland bit of the A2 but kept on the coast - many a heart stopping bend and drop and steep incline, but fantastic views on the way down to the beautiful Murlough Bay.

Came back a bit, stayed in a B&B in Cushendun, then the next morning over to Dunluce Castle, then the Giant's Causeway and on the way back Dunseverick Castle, the Rope Bridge, Kilbane Castle (or rather the car park near it - the site is too dangerous to get round to the castle ruins now) and back to Dublin via Carlingford.

A2LUE42

keith_d99 wrote: »

I did this trip a few months back ..... There are 1 set of traffic lights (Newlands Cross) between Limerick and Belfast - otherwise pretty much all motorway!

We did Limerick-Belfast in 3.5 hours!
Stayed in Belfast overnight - did titanic exhibition and black cab tour (a must!).

Drove out the Antrim Coast Road from Belfast ... joining the road at Carrickfergus - lovely drive from there all the way to Giants Causeway (make sure you take in Ballintoy Harbour en route).

We stayed just outside Bushmills.

Drove as far as Derry the following day (via ferry to Donegal). We came back down the same way (via Belfast, M1, M7) ... didn't try come down west.

Any questions, let me know!

Antrim coast road is a great idea. Thanks.

Where did you stay near Bushmills, and would it be suitable for an adult and two teenage (15 and 14) boys. (Do they have Triple rooms, Wifi etc.)

A2LUE42

spurious wrote: »

We went up Thursday morning, stopped in Glenarm to see the Walled Garden at the castle, then on up the coast. We didn't take the inland bit of the A2 but kept on the coast - many a heart stopping bend and drop and steep incline, but fantastic views on the way down to the beautiful Murlough Bay.

Came back a bit, stayed in a B&B in Cushendun, then the next morning over to Dunluce Castle, then the Giant's Causeway and on the way back Dunseverick Castle, the Rope Bridge, Kilbane Castle (or rather the car park near it - the site is too dangerous to get round to the castle ruins now) and back to Dublin via Carlingford.

Some great stuff there to add to itinerary. Thanks. The walled garden is one I would never have found.

As regards the accommodation you had, would it be suitable for an adult and two teenage (15 and 14) boys. (Do they have Triple rooms, Wifi etc.)

keith_d99

A2LUE42 wrote: »

Antrim coast road is a great idea. Thanks.

Where did you stay near Bushmills, and would it be suitable for an adult and two teenage (15 and 14) boys. (Do they have Triple rooms, Wifi etc.)

We stayed here - was perfect for us (kids a lot younger than yours though ) ... 3 Bedroom and wifi. Fairly remote but we weren't going out at night so was fine.

spurious

A2LUE42 wrote: »

As regards the accommodation you had, would it be suitable for an adult and two teenage (15 and 14) boys. (Do they have Triple rooms, Wifi etc.)

In Cushendun we stayed in Cloneymore B&B.
028 2176 1443

I know our 'twin' room was two double beds, but a quick phone call would sort out whether they have a triple. Free wifi.

wow sierra

Not sure about quality of the roads but another option would be to go Via Athlone Cavan Omagh Derry.

The Ulster American folk park in Omagh is really worth a visit an Derry city would be a great place to stay with lots to see and do for teenagers. You could then come back Via Belfast after doing the Giants Causeway Rope bridge etc. You wouldn't have time to spend time in Belfast but at least you'd be going and coming on different routes.

If you are coming back via Belfast be careful about the exit for the Dublin road in Lisburn - the M1 goes to Portadown and the A1 goes to Dublin.